Spring Break - This Week Was Awesome!

Me and Elder Adams

April 11, 2016

WEEK 23

Dear Family & Friends,

I’m glad you got some things accomplished during Spring Break. I can just picture everything that you guys did this week like it was yesterday. And Jess, I know you’ll do great this summer in whatever internship you get. You always do! 

I can’t believe to hear some of your news. Emily Peay is GETTING MARRIED—that’s just so weird! And Maddie Brousseau… is GOING ON A MISSION! I’m sooo happy. Jealous ‘cause it’s the Scotland/Ireland mission but so happy for her. I can’t express how awesome it is to see my friends go on missions! It’s one of the best things in the world. And HAPPY BIRTHDAY, TANIA and ADRIAN!

Okay... sadly we still have no idea about which Apostle will come. I will tell you, though, when I get the info! I think it will be when my mission president leaves or right before. OH, YEAH…. Sorry, my mission president leaves in July so I will be getting a new one. Wooah! This will be fun!

Manuel is doing a lot better. Everything went back to normal. The doctor said he had a small weird stroke or something that made it so his circulation of the blood in his body was bad. His wife is still an interesting bugger, the Lord will soften her heart eventually. 

THIS WEEK WAS AWESOME. It was a very good week. We had lessons after lessons after lessons. So yeah... it was pretty good. We have a lot of investigators that are progressing so I will keep you updated on what happens. We just have to divorce and marry some people…LOL… so I will let you know how that goes.

But this last month I’ve been thinking A LOT. How can we have success? I was thinking a lot about working smarter, not harder. The first couple months in the area we worked and worked and worked and didn’t really have the success we wanted. And so I was thinking on what we needed to change in order to have success. What can we do smarter to better our results? 

This week I did just that. What I’m going to relay to you is just one of the things I changed. This one was more individual but we found success by doing it. It was CHARITY.

In Moroni 7:46-48 it explains charity really well. It speaks how we need to ask for it from the Lord with all our heart. And if we do so... we will receive something great. So this last week, I’ve prayed and prayed and prayed, asking God to give just a sliver of this great LOVE that our Savior has for us. I don’t know... most of my life I’ve always wanted to show Love instead of Hate. I have never ever wanted someone to think that I hated them. I still don’t want it, but that change that I felt for my investigators even the people I didn’t even know was crazy. I cannot even explain it. It was like the love that I would feel if I could see Josh again. If I could just hug him. It was that kind of love. In the mission, we are helping people change but I’m learning before we can help someone else, WE first have to change. And this week God has allowed me to change, just a tad bit better. 

I hope I can keep this love. This is love for my investigators, for the drunk guys on the street, and most of all for you guys!  I love you so much, you have not even a single idea.

Stay safe!  Talk to you next week!

LOVE!

- Elder Pukahi

WEEK 21 Pictures

March 28, 2016

WEEK 21

Dear mi familia,

That’s awesome to hear about Aunty Jody and Cavin being there and the whole family getting together for Easter and playing games and all that. So happy for you all!

That Easter video that you emailed me, made me wish that we had ipads. I envy the missionaries that have ipads because they really don’t know how good they got it. To show someone this video, it immediately invites the Spirit in the room. It’s crazy. The message that this video brings is so good. What is amazing to me is that I bring this message to people every day—EVERY DAY. I just pray that I can bring it in the way that the people need it.

BUT GUESS WHAT?

We have SEVEN people in the house now! We got a newbie so that was fun. His name is Elder Barrera. He’s fresh from the CCM [Mexico MTC]. He’s the son of the Zone Leaders (Elder Baker and Elder Turner). I’m pretty sure I’ve told you all about the other Elders in the house. But MOM! Thank you for teaching me how to clean up after myself and other things like that. Some mothers did not teach the kids who I live with. I LOVE THEM WITH ALL MY HEART, but they kill me sometimes.

[Okay, up above when Jeremy says that the newbie is the “son” of the Zone leaders, this is mission talk for he is being trained by them. Whoever trains you on the mission is your dad or your mom, like with the sister missionaries. And the relationship continues, like when the trainer’s trainee trains someone, that is now his/her grandson. Or the other missionaries your trainer trains are now your brothers or sisters. Other mission lingo includes when you are close to going home, you are about to “die” and whoever is your last companion “kills” you.]

So this week. It was GRAND. We had a lot of success this week so that was a YES! With a fist pump in the air kind of JOY! But what I truly learned was humility and that God answers prayers. So... humility. I realized how much God is merciful. He has given me everything.

The reason is because Manuel is not doing so well in the health department. So we went over to give him a blessing and everything. And when I held his arm, it felt exactly like the arm of Josh’s when it was in the BAD DAYS. And with just the touch of the arm, every feeling that I have felt for Josh came rushing back…so what I learned is how loving our Father in Heaven is. He has blessed me with life every day, even though I do not deserve it, while greater people than I who deserve to live and grow, do not.

This experience helped this week because yesterday, we went to go with our investigators to church. We went to their house to catch a ride with them to the chapel, but when we got there, their car wouldn’t start. How Satan is so clever! So we called all the members who could have helped us but they were all in a different city. We then decided that we would go and take a taxi but as missionaries WE HAD NO MONEY!  So yeah... we were pretty much stranded with investigators that wanted to go to church with no ride. And so we walked, and as we walked I said a prayer, and what I said in my prayer was this --"Father, you told me when I needed something, I needed to ask. And by your will, you will grant it. Father, I am here with your children who want to come to you, and we have no ride. What I ask of thee is that someone...anyone to pass in front of us that can help us." I kept walking, not knowing what was going to happen. But two minutes later, a family of members pass in front of us, asking if we need a ride. The weird part is that they lived in the opposite direction of where we were. They felt impressed to drive this way instead of the other. So yes, this Gospel is True!

I love you guys and know that the other side is not far! Stay safe and keep smiling!

- Elder Pukahi

Pics:

Elder Adams, Elder Barrera (our newbie), and me.

Here's us, just dorking around...lol.

MARRIAGE! You Think About Marriage A Lot...I'm Just Saying!

Karla and Manuel, both converts.

February 29, 2016

WEEK 17

Dear Family & Friends,

MARRIAGE!  Here in the mission when you understand God’s plan, you think about marriage A LOT…I’m just saying!

And to hear about everyone getting engaged in the last month or so, especially Danielle and Melissa…that is just TOO weird!  But I am so happy at the same time. But really more on the weird side…okay, definitely on the weird side!!

So sorry to hear about our neighbor, Mrs. Cano. I thought she was beating the cancer. My heart and prayers go out to their family. I got tears in my eyes just reading of her passing. It reminded me a lot of when Josh passed away and I’m very thankful for the opportunity that we had to see your son and our brother pass into the Spirit world. I now know how thin that veil is and how it is getting smaller and smaller and closer and closer every day. Every day I realize how much I miss my brother, but I know he’s proud of me and how he wants me to be here doing this.

This week I have a surprise…MY COMPANION IS LEAVING ME! Tears, I know!  Well, I’m sad because I’ve learned so much from him and what’s crazy is that in the first three months when you come into the field, you are what they call "in training." And right now, this upcoming week, will be my last week of training, and so it is very weird. I will have the responsibility to show my new companion the area, our investigators, as well as the members. So this is going to be interesting! My companion is leaving to Río Bravo which is another area in our mission, and I’m getting Elder Adams. I have no idea who he is yet and none of the Elders in my house do either but it is fine. I have faith that everything will be all right!

But I want to share what happened yesterday. We were with one of our investigators who is soooo ready for baptism, and she knows that the church is the true church. BUT her mom is very Catholic and her friends keep putting ideas in her head that she isn’t ready for baptism. She actually has a lot of trials which stinks, but we have been praying this week on how we can help her take the step of baptism.

During our lesson with her, we were talking and she was saying how she wanted to get baptized but that she didn’t know if she could and when. And as my companion was talking to her, I had an impression. So I went to my scriptures. I didn’t really know what I was going to say, but I opened the Book of Mormon and I came to Ether 12:6. I already had it highlighted and everything. I knew that’s what I needed to share. As I shared it, something in her face changed, and as I finished reading it, I asked her what she thought of the scripture and how it pertained to her. And with a smile and sincerity, she said "I feel this scripture is for me". And when she left, she was very happy and we’re planning her baptism.  So hopefully Satan can stop being annoying and just leave her alone so she can be baptized.

But what I want to share about the Holy Ghost is found in 1 Nephi 4:18. It talks about obeying the voice of the Spirit, and I am telling you guys how important it is to follow the Spirit. When we follow the Spirit, only good can come from it. I learned how important that is as I have seen this week that every time we have followed the Spirit, it has led us to people who are ready to accept the Gospel.

I’m learning a lot every day, and I’m going to be learning a lot more this week with my NEW companion. I’ll be able to tell you even more about him next week.

I love you all!

- Elder Pukahi

YOU ARE DOING JOSH’S TEMPLE WORK THIS WEEK!!

January 25, 2016

Week 12

Mi familia y amigos!

YOU ARE DOING JOSH’S TEMPLE WORK THIS WEEK!! That makes me so HAPPY and yet a little sad because I can’t be there. But I’m so thankful for you and this gospel!

This week was hard, I’m not going to lie. We currently have a couple of investigators which we are going to baptize soon but other than that, we’ve had no success. People just keep shutting the door on us. But it’s okay. From the heart, we LEARN and we learn to LOVE. This week will be better because I’m going to make it better… with a lot of faith and a lot of love in my heart.

My heart goes out to the people at home. EVERYONE who has made me the person I am today. I am so thankful to have everybody I know in my life and I’m thankful for all the trials I’ve had and still will have in my life.

For example, Josh… This week is hard because it reminds us of our dear brother and son. It reminds us of the sad times but also the happy. I was reading in my journal of the time when it was starting to get bad, and I wasn’t up to going to school that day. So I came home and found mom and dad, surrounding Josh in his bed, asking him questions. I joined in and remember us asking him about his time in France and Alaska, his favorite color—those type of questions, just trying to get him to talk because he was really drugged up that day. It was one of those bad days.

But I remember this part really clearly. It was when we asked Josh what his favorite song was. And of course he said there’s too many because there really is—no person has only one favorite song. But we asked him if he could just tell us one. And we couldn’t understand his answer, so we told him to sing it. And he did until I remembered what the song was and hurried and found it on my phone and played it. I clearly remember as this song played, “Coming in from the Cold”, tears rushed down Josh’s face, and then, of course, ours also. The reason he liked it so much was because of the lyric—“Why do you look so sad and forsaken? Don’t you know as one door closes, another one opens?" It’s about hope, a new day. I will never forget this memory ever because Josh gave us some truth from the words of Bob Marley. Right now it is hard. It’s hard because Josh is gone, and here the people’s doors are literally shutting in my face, but there’s always hope. Every day is a day closer to seeing Josh again and having someone ready to listen to this message of hope that this Gospel brings. I know I talk about HOPE a lot, but it’s what I know and can bear truth of.

This Gospel is so true and if we live it, we will be blessed. I’ve seen it in ALL of my investigators and in my own life. So many blessings have come from Josh’s death. It’s hard to say and think that, but it’s so true.

I have to go. I LOVE YOU SO MUCH!!!!  And I WANT baby pics of Yoanna and Coleson’s baby!

Les amo!

Elder Pukahi

We Had Three Baptisms!!!

January 18, 2016

Week 11

Hola, mi familia & friends!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM – I forgot to say that in my last email because here in the mission you sort of forget about time and the days—only the work.

Guess what?  GOD IS REAL. I found my wallet!!

[NOTE: We didn’t post on the blog a separate email from Jeremy last week that he had lost his wallet with everything in it. He’s learned his lesson not to carry important cards with him.]

Well... I didn’t find it, and I don’t really have it yet. BUT a bishop from another stake has it. I have no idea HOW, or how it’s possible but IT IS POSSIBLE. He has it and all my cards are in it. It’s crazy! So I lost my wallet Tuesday night, and I prayed and prayed and prayed and checked every area I had been in and couldn’t find it. So I prayed all day for my wallet, but Wednesday I decided, I would stop praying for my wallet and just focus on the work. I prayed that I would find it and just trusted. I had faith that no matter what was going to happen that everything was going to work out. AND IT DID. God is there. He is always waiting for you to talk with him. He is there to comfort you when you are nervous, help you in your time of need but FIRST you have to do your part. "FAITH WITHOUT WORKS IS DEAD” – It’s truth and I testify of it.

And guess what?  That’s not even the best news!  WE HAD THREE BAPTISMS!

Elder Rodriquez, Karla and Elder Pukahi

The first one is Karla. She is from my current area, and the day when I arrived, we actually taught her that night her second lesson. She’s awesome but says my Spanish is horrible…lol but it’s all good!

Maria, Elder Pukahi and Jose (Maria son)

The second one is Maria! She’s the hermaña who had the dreams. She’s from my old area but she chose me to come and baptize her so that was awesome that I was able to have the privilege. She is literally the next Relief Society President. She is almost perfect. It’s crazy!

Okay, so I didn’t baptize Karla but I confirmed her yesterday in Sacrament meeting and let me tell you...THAT WAS NERVE WRACKING! But I did it. Again, with God anything is possible. The Gift of Tongues is REAL!

The third one is Jose. He is the son of Maria.

Elder Robertshaw, Elder Pukahi, Maria, Jose and Elder Mullins

So yeah, it was an awesome week. This week I truly learned paciente and working with faith.

THANK YOU ALL FOR EVERYTHING! Sorry I put some stress on you guys this week!

Oh, wow! That story you gave about Aji on his mission is crazy. Gave me chills. That’s so awesome. I know Josh is doing some good work. I never know if I can feel him directly or not. I just know it’s the Spirit. It’s actually been a little hard because this month is a little tender for us but in my house, one of the Elders has some talks on his iPod. And we play it throughout the house in the morning. And one of the talks is from the last General Conference I think. But it’s a woman, and she is talking about her family motto. "It will all work out".  And she talks about her daughter passing over to the spirit world and everything. And their family was always telling each other that "it would all work out". And it reminded me of our motto, “It is what it is.” During this week, when times were hard, I would hear mom’s voice saying, "It is what it is" whenever something went wrong. Our appointment fell through, so I would think "it is what it is"—I can’t change it at this moment but it doesn’t mean it’s going to be that way forever.

Our lives have changed so much this last year. And most of the time, things were out of our hands and we couldn’t do anything about it. But it didn’t mean we gave up, we stopped trying. We kept on going and if things were tough, again "it is what it is" but we never stopped working. We never stopped doing the things which we needed to do.

I’ve learned a lot out here on the mission the small time that I have been out here and I have so much more to learn.

I love you guys much! CON TODO MI CORAZON!                                    

- Elder Pukahi    

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!!!!!!!

and who said I wasn't a photographer.

November 26, 2015

Hi, FAMILY & FRIENDS,

THEY FED US TURKEY, MASHPOTATOES, AND PIE!!!!!!!!  It’s literally the best day ever. I mean the CCM food is usually good, but there is nothing like a good ‘ole AMERICAN meal. Love, love, love, love, love!

My LATINO AMIGOS! I love them so much! they left this last Monday to the field but after our missions were are all going to Chill!

Man, I have so much to say…. Okay, so my Zone had one of the district's leave to the field. It was sad but happy and exciting times. I mean they get to go share this wonderful gospel with so many people. They are going to do so well! This district has helped us all A LOT, as we have been bearing testimony to each other the whole time. ALSO, most of them are from Utah and actually lived sooo close to us. One of the Hermanas, Hermana Hollingshead, I went to school with her in 9th grade. She went to Timp...(shaking my head) but it’s all good. Love her still. I didn’t realize how much I was gonna love each Elder and Hermana. Everyone has such a sweet spirit here and everybody is here for a reason. IT’S AWESOME!!

OKAYYYY… so this week, I learned a whole lot. In one of the lessons from Hermano Candiani, we talked about Christlike attributes, and how we need to become like Him. It was about "what we do" vs "what we are". Just because we help one person doesn’t mean we can classify ourselves as a helpful person. It’s like this... If you want to be good at soccer, you have to practice every day until being good at soccer is a part of who you are. Then we can classify ourselves as being good at soccer or whatever. This is exactly how we can become like Christ. If we try and try to do things like Christ EVERY SINGLE DAY, then one day, just maybe one day, we could become as perfect as he was.

​Adrian’s brother... I FOUND HIM!

THEN after we got asked the question, "Who do you want to become?” That got me thinking... Who DO I want to become? Do I want to become a good missionary, a good person, a good (hopefully) husband? But you can wake up one morning and suddenly you’re good. You have to work on it. So I’m going to work on being better and becoming the person I want to become and what God wants me to become.

And here's the pic of them 

having Thanksgiving dinner.

OKAY—next story... So I realized today that this is the first Thanksgiving without Josh and I was getting really, really sad. But, of course, God is always on our side because in Tuesday’s night Devotional, it was what I needed. The devotional was awesome! It was from an Elder from the Seventy that, unfortunately, I can’t remember his name right now, but Hermana Bigley later talked about how the Elder bore his testimony of how Jesus Christ was his best companion in the mission field. AND STILL IS. When she said that, it reminded me of the bands we got for Josh’s cancer-- the "NO ONE FIGHTS ALONE!"  And for a long time I always thought that they applied just for Josh and his cancer. But it’s not. It’s for all of us. Those words are a clear reminder for me that I AM NEVER ALONE. If I’m struggling or the person next to you is struggling, we are not alone. We are never alone. Even through our trials, Jesus Christ is right beside us, wishing for us to understand the better plan. Just remember that we have people on the other side cheering for us to make it through. So I know it’s hard not having Josh here, but he´s with grandmas and grandpas, and they are all cheering for us to get through this earthly life and return to them. So if I ever get down or if you guys ever get down, remind me and remind each other that we have people, who love us so much, beside us, cheering us on!

From left to right--Elder Lindsay (such a sick kid), 

Elder Henrie (love this kid) Elder Gunnell, 

Hermana Reynoso (lol I always called her Hermana Reynosa!) 

Hermana Hollingshead (my buddy from school), 

Elder Donkin (my rapper buddy) Elder Orrock (this kid kills me)

and Elder Gonzalez (such a sweet kid)

I love you guys so much! Thank you for being my family. Thank you for loving me. Thank you for supporting me. I’m very thankful for a lot of things, but I’m very thankful to be able to call you guys my FAMILY! I love you with all mi corazon.

-Elder Pukahi

(your favorite child)